The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) - Stacy Green Page 0,68
evidence was an unfortunate part of the job. New procedures and better training made a huge difference, and a mistake like that would have been much more likely back then.
Rory was getting to her. His faith in Mark made Rory’s argument seem solid, but once Nikki looked at the evidence, she would be certain the right man was in prison. Still, she hated the idea of crushing Rory’s hopes. He was the only person in her life who had any clue what it had been like to live under the microscope of the murders. What would happen to him when the DNA proved once and for all that Rory had wasted years of energy on his brother?
Nikki had to get her head straight. Rory wasn’t a part of her life. He was an acquaintance, and they were connected by tragedy, but that was it.
The door swung open, and Courtney sauntered in. “Here’s your coat. Guess who I just saw leaving the complex?”
“No clue.”
“None other than Rory Todd.” Courtney plopped into the chair next to Nikki. “I assume he was here to talk to you? Seems like he’s done a lot of that in a short time. Not that I mind seeing him. He’s easy on the eyes.”
“He gave me a ride from the diner.”
Courtney’s eyes widened. “I wondered how you got here. Why’s he being so nice when he should hate you?”
“He wants me to look at my parents’ files. He’s certain Mark’s innocent.”
“So he’s buttering you up?”
“He’s not like that.” Nikki spoke more vehemently than she’d intended, and Courtney grinned.
“Oh really. Do tell.”
“We’re supposed to be working a case.” Nikki frowned.
“We are,” Courtney said. “But we’re also friends. I just want to make sure this guy isn’t taking advantage of you. Besides, I know that look. You’re wound tight inside and desperate to talk to someone.”
Maybe Courtney was right. Talking things out in an investigation often helped things make more sense, so why shouldn’t it work for her Rory situation?
Nikki sighed and started with falling on her rear at the gas station. She told Courtney about her conversations with Roger Mathews and Rory about the untested evidence.
“You went to a bar with Rory and didn’t tell me?” Courtney swiveled in one of the chairs.
“I really haven’t had the chance,” Nikki said. “Janelle was found the next morning, and we’ve been busy.”
“I’ll let it slide for now. You just promised him that you would look at the evidence, which means he must have said something pretty convincing.”
Nikki rested her head on the back of her chair. “I’m beginning to wonder if my testimony was reliable back then. I was always told that I’d sobered up and the toxicology report proved I was a reliable witness. But there’s no record of the tox report, and I know my blood was taken.” She didn’t want to divulge the information about the paramedic until she knew more.
“It was a long time ago, and with everything being transferred from paper to digital, things could have been lost,” Courtney said. “Did you do any drugs that night?
“That’s one road I didn’t go down.” There was no evidence anyone had liquid ecstasy at the party. She was making too many wild assumptions, and if Rory hadn’t hinted at it, Nikki never would have considered the idea.
“Then I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Courtney said. “It’s on record that you passed the field test. The rest is on the police.”
“I still want to know what happened to the tox test.” Maybe she hadn’t actually been drugged, but the tox report instead showed her blood alcohol level was still high enough to be an issue on the stand. That would have made Hardin look foolish, and it would have put the case against Mark in jeopardy.
“I’ve got a friend in records. I can ask her to look for the test. In a perfect system, all results from the hospital labs should be entered into the state database.”
“Can you trust her not to go to the media?”
Courtney nodded. “I wouldn’t ask her if I didn’t.”
“Then do it. Just keep everything between us.”
“Are you starting to think Mark could be innocent?”
“I don’t know, but I’m starting to wonder if I put my trust in the right people back then. I was scared, I was shocked, I’d just lost my parents.” The implications made Nikki’s stomach turn. If Mark Todd was truly innocent, he was just as much of a victim as Nikki. She’d known Mark since they